


As the Blood Moon Approaches

by chocohobi



Series: Zutara Week 2020 [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bloodbending (Avatar), F/M, Katara - Freeform, Zuko - Freeform, Zutara, Zutara Week, Zutara Week 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25540555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocohobi/pseuds/chocohobi
Summary: Zuko and Katara reunite in Caldera City to catch up before they must part again, but Katara will be on one of the more distant Fire Nation Islands helping out in one of their newly established health sectors.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zutara Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1850686
Kudos: 15
Collections: Zutara Week 2020





	1. Reunion

The tropical air of the archipelago had long since penetrated the cabin of the airship but it’s never quite comparable to stepping out into the smothering humidity. She immediately moves to gather and secure her hair up off her neck as she descends and scans the bustling marketplace of reds, purples and browns for the touch of gold palace attendants always adorn. She catches a glint of the metal from the corner of her eyes and follows it to find the playful chocolate eyes of a new friend.  


The attendant’s head lowers, yet there is a certain mischief in the way she speaks as they meet, “Good morning and welcome Master Katara, are we set to depart for the palace or should I summon more attendants for your comfort?”  


Katara makes a valiant effort to pout but as soon as the attendant meets her eyes they both devolve into a fit of giggles, “Why must you remind me everytime I come Zuri? Did I not suffer enough when it happened?”  


“Because whenever I bring it up the same expression ghosts across your face and another ten years is added to my life.” Zuri grins and offers a hand to take a bag off of Katara’s back.  


Katara groans but smiles nonetheless, “I’m so glad my constipated koala-otter impression is doing someone some good.” Katara moves to tighten a rope on one of her packs as she begins to walk toward the palace.  


Zuri falls in step beside her eyeing the knot Katara is fiddling with, “It was quite refreshing really, the fire nation folks are prone to turning up their nose either because they expect the treatment or are insulted there aren’t more of us.”  


“Well I can assure you you’ll never be getting that from me. I’m worth no more or less than you or any of the other staff.” Katara’s brow furrows as the knot has just come entirely undone, huffing as she tries to correct it.  


“Of course, you were only instrumental in ending a century-long reign of tyranny and saving the only person that could take over for it.” Zuri takes advantage of Katara’s shock at the sheer nonchalance of the statement to relieve her of the uncooperative bag.  


Katara’s eyes narrow, realizing she’s been played, “Like 5 other people did that too…”  


“Yet none of them work so hard to refuse well deserved help.”  


“Zuri, it’s a bag.” Katara moves to take it back.  


“And you’ll be handling it all by yourself for months after you leave the palace. Give yourself a reprieve, you deserve it.” Zuri keeps her eyes forward as they continue, but can feel Katara’s eyes on her.  


“And is there any particular reason you’ve developed such an interest in my luggage?”  


“Moreso how much moving around it does.”  


Katara stops and puts her hands on her hips, “And what so bad about me getting proper use out of it?”  


“Nothing at all. Just that perhaps it deserves a bit of a break, maybe some TLC and thoughtful consideration. Repair some frayed ropes, maybe sew up holes you may not be paying the closest attention to,” Zuri glances back noticing Katara has stopped walking. “Or ignoring.”  


Katara’s mouth dips into a frown, “My luggage will tell me when it needs a break…”  


Zuri rolls her eyes back to their path and walks again, “Oh yes of course, when it gives out and leaves you to deal with a pile of your needs in the middle of a muddy path.”  


Katara rejoins her pace lagging behind a bit as she considers, “My luggage doesn’t need to be dealt with right now, Zuko mentioned there’s a minor plague in the countryside so that is my priority.”  


“Yes, yes, Waterbender first, human second, I’m familiar with the philosophy.”  


“Oh hush there’s nothing to really deal with anyway…” Katara seems pensive as the tip of the palace comes over the horizon, but they continue the rest of the way in amicable silence.  
~~  


The expertly woven threads of silk winked back at him with each movement as Zuko admires the new set of robes he requested. They were dominated by the more common reds and browns seen in the general populace, with the royal elements integrated in a more subtle way he felt truly himself in. The reflection staring back at him was Firelord Zuko, not Ozai’s successor. Zuko runs his fingers along the dragon stitching winding around his forearms; he rolls his shoulders back to get the armor to sit comfortably. He bounces on his toes a bit to loosen up-  


“Playing dress up again?”  


Zuko jumps, nearly igniting the rug under him to find it was only Katara, leaning against the door frame to his room looking way too pleased with herself. “I’m not playing… presentation is very important in the fire nation court…”  


“Mhmm, what’s the occasion then?” Katara saunters into the room as Zuko averts his eyes from her.  


“Iwantedanewoutfit.”  


A bright laugh falls from her lips, “At least you didn’t try to lie.” Katara is able to take in more of the outfit as she gets closer “It’s really nice, more you…”  


“As the world rolls further from the cusp of war I can spend some time on unimportant things, like what I look like.”  


Katara humors him with a huf of air through her nose as she lifts her hand to hover over his arm, “May I?”  


“Of course.”  


Katara explores the dragon embroidery with a curious appreciation, “You never will tell the rest of us exactly what went down with the Sun Warriors huh?”  


It is Zuko’s turn to laugh “We were sworn to secrecy. Our honor as Firelord and Avatar depend on it.”  


Katara’s hand wanders along the threads further up his arms that gleam in a path as he gives her more space to explore, “So I keep hearing. How is your scar doing?”  


He simply shrugs “Too old to feel much of anything let alone update on.”  


Her fingers tense over his bronze trimmed collar as her voice tightens “I meant the other one.”  


Zuko sighs and cups the elbow of her arm on his chest “Fine, itches a bit in the winter.” He frowns seeing her eyes are focused where the scar lies under his robes.  


Katara’s hand has flattened over his chest as she tunes into the way his heart is beating. Strong and steady. No stuttering, nothing to worry about. She releases a breath she’d been holding since asking. “I can't help but worry is all.”  


“It was my choice,” Zuko assures “I had a better chance of surviving that strike than you did.” He watches her purse her lips, clearly not like that justification “Plus you’re special. I doubt I’d have survived without you.”  


Katara’s lips quirk up a bit “Not special enough for the palanquin treatment though?”  


Zuko flushes from his ears to his neck being reminded of the accidental spectacle “I keep telling you I just wanted to make sure you could get here safe and guided, how was I supposed to know ‘receiving guests’ meant a tiny procession!”  


“THAT was tiny?!”  


Zuko groans and stomps away to a small desk in the corner of his room grabbing a handful of papers “All the leaders of the permanent health bases have gotten back to me about their long term plans so you’d probably be interested in reading the letters before leaving.”  


“So what quantifies a “proper” procession?”  


Zuko is trying really hard not to look at her despite needing to turn around to bring her the stuff he’s grabbed “I should also remind you there’s been a plague outbreak in the farming district on Hing Wa island, reports say they’re managing to contain it but don’t know what’s causing it.”  


“Oh please tell me they’re not eating the fuzzy ash bananas again!”  


“Not sure if this is better or worse but it’s not, similar symptoms though.”  


Katara begins to chew on her lip as she briefly skims the letters for poignant details “Shoot, this does sound pretty awful…” she then sighs with tinge of resignation as she bundles everything back up to read in depth later “Just when I got excited about spending more time back home.”  


“How are things going in the south?”  


Katara straightens up and grins brighter than the sunlight streaming through the windows “Spectacular!! Everytime I go back there’s more buildings, and Sokka has been really innovative with improving insulation which has made winters more bearable. Pakku and Yugoda have been working together to create a co-ed curriculum for the few southern natives and the girls who travel down south to learn. Pakku is finally making progress with Gran-gran as she speaks to him without insults a few times a day. I was really excited to get down there and teach them from the southern scrolls you recovered from the vault last time but I got wrapped up in the Earth Kingdom so long…but that’s beside the point, so they’ve formed a council to give each tribe a proper voice in decisions...”  


Zuko all but melts as he watches her continue to gush about how well the South has been doing since the war ended, but part of him can’t help but feel sad the establishment of the health commission means seeing her less, thus he sighs “I guess I’m just gonna have to miss my friends even more now.”  


That’s when a uniquely flat voice sounds from the doorway “You've been doing well enough this long.”  


The pair in the room jump, Katara nearly dropping everything in her arms. As she goes about adjusting it all anew, Zuko moves to join Mai by the door and leans in to greet her with a peck on the cheek, wrapping an arm around her. Mai accepts this while keeping her impassive glare on Katara who then straightens up.  


Katara holds her gaze for a while, recognizing the displeasure radiating off of Mai, but not being able to decipher her expression. “Good morning Mai, how have you been?” the safest route to go on trying to figure out what exactly is wrong.  


Mai shrugs with a dispassionate hum “Bored as usual I suppose,” her eyes feel sharper one her next words “How is the Avatar?”  


Katara’s jaw twitches at that comment “Well the last I checked. Though it has been a few months since then, I mean we are both two very busy people, rebuilding cultures and structuring healthcare systems.” Her smile grows tighter as she speaks “I suppose I just find it difficult keeping up with everything I love, some things just fall behind.”  


The corner of Mai’s mouth jerks the slightest “Well your ability to diversify and prioritize your loves is admirable. Your flexibility is something to aspire towards.”  


This passive aggressive face off is stressing Zuko out two-fold in not knowing why they are saying nice things, but seem to not have nice intentions, and why they’re at each other’s throats at all. So he handles this as well as you would anticipate an early twenty-something too. “Hoo! That Hing Wa plague sure is tearing the island a literal new one.”  


Katara drops her head trying not to laugh at Zuko’s antics, while Mai turns to look at him outwardly shocked and disgusted before unraveling herself from his embrace and walking away.  


Zuko watches Katara’s shoulders continue to shake as she’s trying to stifle her laughter. “Don’t laugh at me!”  


“How?!” She cackles aloud “How do I not laugh at you panicking and resorting to dysentery as an out? Explain it to me, I would love to know!”  


“I miss when Uncle could buffer my embarrassment…”  


“Speaking of, how has he been holding up the past few months?”  


Zuko seems a bit hesitant as he answers “Pretty well as far as his letters indicate. Reflective, which he always is but, it’s just more apparent recently? I don’t know...Well is the short answer.”  


“He's been staying out of high stress situations?”  


“You know how he gets about good pai sho opponents but otherwise it’s all tea and philosophy. He’s been missing Lu Ten a lot since his birthday is coming up again.”  


“That’s heart pain I can’t really help with. Do you think he’d be interested in another treatment?”  


Zuko’s slight hesitation is difficult to decode “Yeah I’ll mention arranging it in my next letter, he’s more likely to come on time when it sounds like he’s missing an event.”  


Katara snickers at the idea of inflicting a fear of missing out over a doctors appointment. “The soonest he can get here is when I’ll make myself available. Keep me posted on your schedules and we’ll work something out.”  


“Let’s aim for two months out from today?”  


“Sounds great, the plague should be handled by then too so I should be free to do it on the full moon.”  


Zuko inhales like he’s about to speak and stops himself a second too late leading Katara’s brows to raise in question “Ha-Have you gotten around to teaching anyone else how to do the heart treatments?”  


Katara tenses as she closes the distance to leave the room “No I-I um…” she takes a deep breath to level herself “I’ve been having a really difficult time...reconciling the good I have found with bloodbending with the terror I learned it under. I fear teaching it, even for something so specific, will only spread the potential to abuse the power.”  


Zuko draws his lips into a thin line “Of course, I hope I didn’t make it sound like I was trying to make demands. It's just worrisome doing this scheduling dance at times.”  


Katara looks up at him and smiles “It'll all work out fine, always has at least.” She offers him a hug with her free arm, which he readily accepts “Now I’ve got a lot of reading to do before leaving tomorrow.”  


“Well then I guess you’ll be off Master Katara. You know how to find your room from here?”  


“As long as you didn’t move it.”  


“It was good seeing you again.”  


“You too Firelord.”


	2. Counterpart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Katara separate to lead in their respective ways.

Light and dark.  


Push and pull.  


Life and death.  


Yin and Yang govern all aspects of how the world functions, always competing, but neither ever overpowering the other. Leaders must also govern these principles internally and externally for the best interest of their cause.  


Zuko can spot Katara’s eel hound coasting toward the horizon of the rising sun and sighs considering then next they will meet. His eyes drift back down to the mass of scrolls and slips on his desk and said sigh drags the weight of his chin to his chest and he sinks into his chair to get to work.  


“My Lord.”  


“Yes Zuri?”  


“We left off on the Jing family’s complaint about increasing taxes?”  


“28 days from their last as usual?”  


“Of course my lord.”  


Zuko’s eyebrow twitches as he wades through the mess wrist deep trying to discern if the Jing family name is anywhere within the pile “And which tax are they trying to dodge now?”  


“Reparations I believe, given the focus on their Great-Grandfather’s participation in the early colonizing efforts and dying in action on land that was named after him for the duration of Fire Nation rule.” Zuri rolls the scroll as she concludes her summary.  


Zuko freezes, trying to process The contradiction. “So they think embracing their colonial lineage…will exempt them from the Colony Reparations Tax??”  


“That seems to be their case my lord,” Zuri eyes Zuko’s slumped form, but smells the burning parchment before the smoke rises “Be careful, some of those need to be signed and returned.”  


“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WAS GOING THROUGH THEIR HEADS AS THEY WROTE THIS?!” While the contents of the desk escaped his wrath, the tapestries hanging above the sconces were not so lucky. “In what univer- how do they co opt that- I just- wha-” he simply grits his teeth releasing an escalating groan grabbing the ends of the hair brushing his shoulders. Then with his next breath all tension has evaporated from his body, the sconces fizzle out without Zuko’s influence to fuel them in place of the day's supply that was burnt in his outburst.  


“Koala-sheep wool is some durable stuff isn’t it my lord?”  


“Stop my lord-ing me!”  


Zuri’s eyes glint as she rises from her chair at the side of the room “It is only proper I speak to you with your title.”  


“Yeah, and you’re only proper with me when my advisors are present so what gives?”  


Her golden belt shines as she steps into the window’s rays “You seem a bit worn my-”  


“Don’t.”  


“ _Zuko_ ,” Zuri looks him right in the eyes “You’ve been burning the candle at both ends and have reached a point where I’m exhausted looking at you. If you would be so kind as to maintain your basic human needs, and not mask them from the people with the power to make you take care of them, I’d be glad to return to our usual amicable atmosphere. Until then, _my lord_ , we can carry on as we are.”  


“I’m not mask-”  


Zuri rolls her eyes and goes about straightening the contents of his desk “You’re pale my lord but the pallor under your eyes doesn’t blend as seamlessly to someone who sees you everyday.”  


“Mai hasn’t said anyth-”  


“Mai hardly looks at you at all, given she’s rarely in the palace as of late.” Zuri remains focused on trying to craft some semblance of order on the desk.  


Zuko’s eyes widen as he stops to consider. Yesterday was the first he’d seen of Mai in...a couple of weeks? He isn’t even sure…  


Zuri lifts her eyes to watch him ponder before speaking again, “I can draft a denial for the Jings, Perhaps look into the reports form Jang Hui to check in on how the returning colony families are settling in. Then try to get some rest please.” She gathers an armful of documents and exits his office.  


Zuko sees her off with an absent minded nod at the spots the Jang Hui reports stacked neatly at the center of what is otherwise still a disaster. An appreciative huff of air escapes his nose as he sifts through them:  


_New boatloads of colonials arrive at least twice a week, some weeks as many as four. The most recent arrivals have more older earthbenders with training…_  


Zuko notes this, planning to reach out to Toph and Sokka to coordinate this new resource for constructing better housing to accommodate the swelling population on such a small remote island, as well as employ the new arrivals.  


_The Sapphire Vines take well to cliff-sides, trees, people standing in place too long, really anything they can climb. The dye harvests have been ample, and the color is so captivating everyone has taken to it alongside the Watertribe healers._  


Zuko goes on scribbling notes about potential trade goods and infrastructure improvements to pitch to his advisors later that afternoon and drafting missives to his friends about the plans he’s forming and the future he’s crafting.  
~~  


Katara dismounts from the large reptile and leads it by the reins to the suspiciously empty public stables. Securing the reins to a post in the structure, Katara’s eyes drift across the equally desolate town until a splash of blue emerges from behind a sunset soaked stone building jogging close and waving to greet her.  


“Master Katara! It’s good to see you’ve arrived safely!”  


“Kai?” Katara hadn’t been able to discern who was approaching her given the majority of their face was covered but the voice confirmed it for her “Why are you all covered up? Where are all of the citizens?”  


Kai stops a ways away from Katara and bows before answering “We’ve found transmission decreases greatly when we buffer contact with patients, I’d recommend you do the same with any spare cloth you have before going deeper into the town.” Katara moves to retrieve her things from the saddle bag as they continue “As for the ghost town, we’re just trying to sanitize spaces before moving healthy people back into their homes. They’ve been camped out on the outskirts for the past couple of days.”  


Katara secures the fabric around her head and goes about attaching all her belongings to her person “So people have been recovering alright?”  


Kai hesitates “Yes and no. The recovered are being held independently quarantined otherwise they run the risk of relapsing and infecting new people. The camp for the sick is the farthest from town with the hopefully recovered about halfway between the two.”  


“And this started with bad meat?” Katara’s eyes drift over to the swarm of birds that has landed on a nearby building.  


“That’s what we thought but soon realized it was coming from people handling the livestock, not the product.”  


“Animals can get people sick?”  


“That’s what it looks like.” There’s a shrill bird cry from behind them.  


“Do the animals seem to be sick?”  


“Not at all, the hippo-cows are more lively if anything not being slaughtered as usual.”  


“And no external sales before the start of the problem?”  


“Hing Wa deals mostly in produce trade, no animal transfers have been documented for decades.” Kai eyes the birds circling above the two of them warily before nodding toward the town “Let’s keep in moving to minimize the chances of getting bombed.”  


Katara also takes note of the flock that’s dominated the area over the few minutes they’ve been talking “How long have the pigeon owls been this aggressive?”  


“The what?”  


“Pigeon owls,” Katara points to the birds overhead “I wasn’t sure at first because I’ve never seen them in the fire nation.”  


Kai considers for a moment “I can’t really say, I’m sure someone that’s been here a couple years will be able to tell you.”  


Katara hums, eyeing the subsequent defacement the birds tend to inflict overnight already building on roofs and statues.  


Katara is welcomed enthusiastically by her students and coworkers alike, but one of the newest recruits who had yet to meet her before slips up asking “How long have you been married?”  


Katara’s expression sours before she remembers why she asked “Oh no no no, that’s not what this means at all. This necklace has been in my family for a few generations now. We don’t even do engagements like that in the Southern tribe.”  


“Really though, how are you still single?” an older woman chimes in.  


Katara rolls her eyes realizing avoiding this conversation was in vain “Simple, by not dating anyone.”  


“Yes but by what logical progression is a girl as beautiful and accomplished as you are still unmarried four years after hitting betrothal age?” The elder asks.  


“And close friends with the Avatar and the Firelord…” a young woman to her left says.  


Katara’s jaw tightens at that “Last I checked romance was the one thing I had no deadlines on.”  


“Nature disagrees!” The older woman says, “I almost missed my window to have my son…”  


“The boys up north talk about you all the time.” The new healer suggests “I'm sure some are good prospect-.”  


Katara cuts her off with guffaw she couldn’t have suppressed if she tried “Oh honey they aren’t saying my name because they want me, they want to beat me.” Katara sashays over to the supplies to take inventory of what they have “And they’re well aware how much I outmatch them as warriors and leaders, which is why they spend so much time talking about it.” Katara glances over her shoulder at the new girl and smiles at the light in her eyes “I hope you leave here with the same energy wherever you end up.”  


The girl furrows her brow and drops out an amused huff “Well back up north of course, my father only allowed me to come for these last couple of years before I’m of marrying age.”  


Katara turns suddenly and levels the girl with a stern glare “What’s your name?”  


The girl gulps and struggles to hold the weight of Katara’s gaze “Uhh Hanna ma’am.”  


“Well Hanna, let me introduce you to what this learning experience will be personally.” Katara heaves a crate from the supply pile and delivers it to the girl who nearly topples front loaded with the weight of it “Being apart of this team, means raising up others when they need it, and allowing yourself the same courtesy when necessary-”  


“Something _some_ of us still need to work on!” another woman shouts.  


“ _And_ recognizing your full potential as an individual with every new skill you develop in healing or in combat. Once you become that person I want you to think long and hard about where you want to be when these two years are up. If that’s back home then by all means I wish you well, but I want you leaving here certain it was your own choice, not something someone insists on you. You are your own person, not something to be tucked away in a man’s shadow for a lifetime.”  


Hanna is staring through Katara overwhelmed by the breadth of their worldview gap and the crate weighing her down. “...okay…”  


Katara smiles, excited to be out in the field again. “And lift with your legs. I look forward to working with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoo boy if you read that thank you immeasurably because ngl i really struggled with it and that's why it's a day late. i think it's because it's world building which feels like fluff cuz i wanna get to why i tagged this major character death lol. but i digress, thank you for reading and fuse should be uploaded around 3 am est cuz i know who i am.


	3. Fuse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara learns of incoming celestial events that throw a wrench in her plans with Zuko.

All washed up and finally properly settled in the healthy camp, Katara hunkers down in front of her astronomy sources to anticipate the celestial events of this hemisphere in the coming months. The flickering candles at the corners of her tent dance over the constellation maps, almost making the arrangements animate with them.  


She goes about bolding full moon dates when they’ll be due to ramp up productivity, and tabs a letter to write to Zuko with the information. A book documenting the movements and coordination of the sun and moon indicates a partial solar eclipse is going to drift over the outer islands, and a full lunar eclipse two months from now.  


Katara’s stomach roils as she recalls the horror with Zhao and the moon spirit, and Yue’s subsequent sacrifice. Even though Yue was able to restore that balance, eclipses were now a regular occurrence, and difficult to ignore when waterbenders can be out of commission for as long as an hour and a half sometimes. Usually only two nights a year, but that time can stretch to infinity. Katara grips the pen that’s tracking the path across the page haunted by how powerless it always makes her feel. Katara may also have to try her luck in expediting Iroh’s arrival a month early to be safe. She’d rather not risk treating Iroh that night at all, dark memories hang in the Earth’s umbral shadow.  


Katara manages to record these new findings, but can’t focus on much with that date and Iroh’s wellness on the line. After looking over the collision course dozens more times she takes a deep breath to recenter herself. Setting the books and scrolls aside, she begins the letters she’ll need to send, one to Zuko, and the other directly to Iroh. The window to the next full moon is four weeks away...tight but not impossible. We can make this work. Katara helped stop an apocalypse in three days when she was 14, getting a patient halfway across the world with nearly 10 times the window is perfectly plausible. With a flying bison…  


Katara chews on her thumbnail worried about how to reach out to Aang. She has no idea where in the world he may be right now and though he stops at all the temples within a month, she doesn’t have the time to risk him not seeing it until late. She fingers the corner of a new sheet wondering if she should try anyway. Maybe he’s with Iroh discussing White Lotus philosophy and he’d do it anyway when Iroh gets his letter!  


Then the question becomes which letter does she write first? Aang needs his before Iroh, but there’s no guarantee when Aang will actually get his. Then again Iroh expecting Aang shouldn’t change the outcome much...Zuko should get a run down of the whole plan, but he’ll get his letter before Aang or Iroh due to proximity, but what if Zuko needed it that far out for his own scheduling and there’d be no way to make the next full moon work? Zuko deserves to be present while Iroh undergoes such a sensitive procedur-  


“Master Katara,” The sound of her name startles her out of the spiral “I wanted to get your input on how we could improve the digestive chutney we’ve-” Kai takes in her scattered and shaken appearance “I’m sorry did I interrupt?”  


“No- I mean yes…” Katara tries to physically shake off the building anxieties “It’s good that you did I mean. What were you asking about?”  


“I _was_ going to fill you in on what we’ve been using to ease symptoms for the sick” They pull up a small stool at the side of her makeshift desk “But it might be better to talk through whatever I just scared you out of.”  


“No no I wasn’t scared it was nothing, the usual ginger and garlic base?” Katara begins to push the maps to the side opposite Kai.  


Kai makes the point of following her arm with their eyes given there was little subtlety in the action “Yes we’ve been experimenting with what additional herbs serve best however.”  


Katara avoids looking directly at them continuing about closing everything back up “The Omashu sector found caraway and turmeric particularly effective dealing with a similar illness-”  


“Another eclipse is coming?”  


Katara tries to look unaffected, but the ink pot freezes over. “Yes, this one looks like it’ll be full so we may be 2 hours short on our most important day of the month.”  


“We handled the last one well enough on our own despite it sneaking up on us.” Kai’s hand drifts behind their neck “I’m no good with the math of all of it.”  


“Give yourself more credit, it’s not easy to figure out.”  


“Are you worried about what it’ll mean for the plague patients?”  


“No I’m sure we’ll be able to handle everything around it…” Katara is now chipping away and the iced ink block with the pen.  


Kai’s eyes drift to the letters blank of anything other than recipients “So what’s got you so worked up about it?”  


The tent swallows the tinkering of the pen on ice as Katara’s lip is worried toward breaking skin “I made tentative plans to, uh, try another one of the treatments on Iroh…”  


Kai’s eyebrow’s nearly crash into their hairline “You’re still testing it? On the Firelord’s uncle of all people?”  


Katara cringes before her next words “It’s not testing anymore, I’ve figured out how to repair the stress from wear and treated him two years ago…”  


The stool falls as they lurch to their feet “Wait, you said you would teach me once you’ve finalized a way to do it! What do you mean ‘two years ago’?!”  


Katara winces at their tone “I know. I’m sorry for keeping this from you, it's just… I worry about-”  


“What? Do you think I can’t?”  


“Of course not Kai you’re one of the most capable benders I’ve ever met let alone trained-”  


“So why did you lie to me for two years!!”  


“Because...it’s hard to explain…”  


“So now I’m stupid too?”  


“Stop twisting my words, this isn’t about you!” Katara looks Kai in the eyes for the first time since they came in only to see them welling with tears. “If you want to know why, pick your stool up, calm down and listen. If you’d rather dwell in your insecurities, come back with some sake and we’ll make it a pity party.” The healer sniffs and settles before Katara softens and continues “Back before we ended the war, I met a survivor from the Southern Water Tribe captives.”  


“That’s amazing you must have been thrilled!”  


Now Katara gets misty eyed “Oh goodness you have no idea. Learning up north was a fight every step of the way and so set in it’s forms, but Ha-” She swallows her name with a hum trying to contain herself “This woman taught me so much about what water was truly capable of, and how she learned most of it through survival, and I was so excited to hear about the South before the war and what we were of our own tribe I never would have thought she’d be using that skill in such a malicious way…” Katara covers her mouth and squeezes her eyes shut just allowing the pain to streak down her face. “I never thought anyone could be driven to literally pull independent will out of someone, not even after being a victim of it.”  


Kai’s face scrunches “I don’t think I understand…”  


“Bloodbending.” Their eyes begin to widen as Katara speaks “This woman taught me how to assume control of other people’s bodies by moving the blood through them.” She turns to fish a handkerchief out of her bag.  


“So this treatment is…?”  


“A constructive reapplication.” She blows her nose “Or at least that’s how I’ve been trying to justify it for myself.”  


“That’s amazing though! If you teach us to use it then-”  


“Then there’s a risk of the knowledge spreading beyond our control and ending up in the hands of someone who’ll abuse it all the same. That’s why I’m so hesitant to teach you, or any of my other students. Prodigy or late bloomer, I don’t want any of you with the weight on your shoulders.”  


The pair just sniffle in stilted silence tinged with shame.  


“I’m sor-”  


“You don’t need to apologize. You did nothing wrong, if anything you’re right to stand up for what you know you’re capable of, but I still need to be a bit selfish about this.” Katara offers her hand which Kai half hearted accepts, looking a bit dejected “I know I can trust you to let everyone else know and be conscious of working with the plague as the eclipse approaches.” She squeezes their hand in reassurance “I know it’s disappointing, but as ready as you may be, I’m not yet.”  


Kai squeezes back and meets her eyes “Of course, on all fronts. Thanks for the tips about the spices we’ll get right on it.” The two part hands “Good night Master Katara, I’m sure you’ll work something out.”  


Katara watches the flaps close behind them before turning back to her letters. She thaws the ink and goes about writing them all, if nothing else being able to say she’s trying her best to be there for the people who need her.  


As she watches the messenger hawks fly into the night she can do nothing but watch the fuse burn down to the next eclipse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to Katara trying to make everything okay! It won't be, but boy does she try.

**Author's Note:**

> To anyone that's read this far, thank you so much!! This is my half-assed first attempt of what direction I would have loved to see the AtLA post-canon world go in, so I'm glad you've found it interesting enough to finish. This is the first installment of my interconnected series I'm doing for Zutara Week and I hope you'll join me for the rest.


End file.
